Ask The Expert
Can I watch a webcast and trade or do research at the same time?
Can you place trailing stop orders on options with OptionsFirst?
Tips of the TradePut your reputation as a savvy investor to the test with ScottradeELITE's backtest feature. The Trade-Ideas backtest tool will calculate the odds of winning trades on a Trade-Ideas alert and filter combination you have configured. The backtest feature analyzes your strategy to provide you with the best and worst trades, net winnings, and a statistical confidence summary based on the parameters you configured. For more about backtesting using Trade-Ideas, visit the Knowledge Center.
If you own an equity option contract, you have the right to exercise that contract and either buy (call) or sell (put) the underlying stock. At expiration, contracts that are $0.01 or more in-the-money will automatically be exercised. If you do not have the required buying power, your position may be closed out before expiration.
To exercise an equity option contract before expiration, call your broker to give exercise instructions. Or, if you're an OptionsFirst customer, left click on the option from the Positions plane and select Exercise from the menu. There is a $17 flat fee to exercise a contract whether it is placed online or via live broker.
Simplifying Bond Investing
Scottrade's Fixed Income Center rolled out two new features over the summer: online bond sales and a bond laddering tool.
Sell Your Bonds Online
You can now sell your bonds online using Scottrade's new Bid Wanted Submission Page. To find the Bid Wanted Submission Page, click the Trade tab in your account, choose CDs & Bonds from the left navigation menu, mouse over the Bonds tab and click Sell Bonds in the drop-down box.
You will need to enter your account number, contact information, how many bonds you want to sell and the CUSIP number of each bond. Once you have entered this information, you can preview your order before submitting the final bid request. As with any trade, all bids are subject to change due to market conditions, and the timing of trade executions will vary depending on market conditions and liquidity.
Viewing the Order Status of Bonds up for Sale
You can check the order status of bonds you are selling the same way you would check the order status of bonds you are buying.
- Click the Order Status tab in the CDs & Bonds section under the Trade tab, or
- Visit the Order Status page under the My Account tab
When viewing your Order Status, bonds being sold will appear toward the bottom of the page, after bonds being bought. For step-by-step instructions on how to check the status of any order, visit the Help & How To section of the Knowledge Center.
Buying Bonds: A Package Deal
If you've ever used Scottrade's Bond Laddering tool, you know that ladders are easy to build, and now they're easy to buy, too! Start with the Bond Finder tool, which you'll find under the Trade tab in the CDs & Bonds section. Enter up to 30 bonds in the Bond Finder tool and view a comprehensive report to see how your bonds work together before purchase.
New Comprehensive Reports
Scottrade's new bond reports are making it easier to analyze your investments. The new comprehensive reports in the Bond Laddering Results section offer easy-to-read graphs that reflect the diversity of your bond portfolio, a cash flow synopsis and a maturity report. After completing the Bond Laddering process, click Generate Report to view an analysis of your Bond Ladder.
For more information on bond laddering or the Bond Finder Tool, visit the Knowledge Center or contact your local branch.
Bonds involve risks including, but not limited to interest rate risk, reinvestment risk, inflation risk, call risk, liquidity risk, credit risk, market risk, default risk, event risk and a risk of loss of principal. New issue offerings are sold by prospectus or offering circular available at www.scottrade.com. Investors should read these carefully.
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